Award-winning US actress and activist Jane Fonda said she has begun treatment and vowed to fight the "very treatable" illness. The 84-year-old shared the news of her condition in a post on social media.
Jane Fonda has begun a six-month course of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancerImage: MANDEL NGAN/AFP
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US actress Jane Fonda announced on Friday that she had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and had begun a six-month course of chemotherapy treatment.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a form of cancer that begins in the white blood cells and affects parts of the body's immune system.
The 84-year-old Oscar winner said, "This is a very treatable cancer. 80% of people survive, so I feel very lucky."
Fonda shared the news of her illness in an Instagram post in which she spoke of her access to health insurance along with the best doctors and treatments, and added, "I realize, and it's painful, that I am privileged in this."
Fonda uses illness to highlight health care issues
Well known for her activism, Fonda also pointed out that while she was fortunate to be receiving such treatment, the same could not be said for others who found themselves in a similar situation.
"Almost every family in America has had to deal with cancer at one time or another and far too many don't have access to the quality health care I am receiving and this is not right," Fonda said.
The environmentalist and social campaigner said she would not let her treatment interfere with her climate activism, and even pointed to the upcoming midterm elections in November, saying she would be there.
"The midterms are looming, and they are beyond consequential so you can count on me to be right there together with you as we grow our army of climate champions," Fonda said.
Fonda has been acting in film and television for more than six decades, and won Academy Awards for roles in the 1971 movie "Klute" and 1978's "Coming Home." Her latest film, "Moving On," will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival this month.
She also recently starred in the final season of the Netflix comedy "Grace and Frankie."
kb/sms (Reuters, AP)
From sex symbol to political activist: Jane Fonda at 80
She's both Barbarella and Hanoi Jane: As American star, sex symbol, peace activist and fitness icon Jane Fonda turns 80, here's a look back at the defining moments of her career.
Image: Getty Images for GAACP/R. Diamond
The Fonda family: cinema in the blood
While this family portrait looks heartfelt, Jane Fonda and her brother Peter — the "Easy Rider" star — were rarely hugged by their father Henry, also an Oscar-winning actor. He traveled a lot for work, and during the few occasions when he was at home, he acted cold and aloof. Their mother, socialite Frances Ford Seymour, committed suicide in a sanatorium at the age of 42 when Jane was just 12.
Image: Imago/Zumapress
The sex symbol of the 1960s
If the Italian actress Virna Lisi had not turned down the role of Barbarella in the eponymous flick, the world might not ever have discovered Fonda's seductive charisma. She was recommended for the role by director Roger Vadim's then wife — Fonda went on to marry Vadim. In the film (above) she delivered a sex-fueled character who defined the beauty ideals of the late 1960s — and the 41st century!
When Fonda used her popularity to protest against the US intervention in the Vietnam War in the early 1970s, many of her fans were not happy. This infamous photo of her atop a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun earned her the nickname "Hanoi Jane" and much criticism. Then-FBI director J. Edgar Hoover declared her an enemy of the state and had her kept under permanent surveillance.
Image: picture-alliance/CPA Media Co. Ltd/Nihon Denpa News
Two Oscars against all odds
Despite the political pushback after the Vietnam episode, she was still favored by the directors and the audience. For her main roles in "Klute" (1971), a neo-noir thriller where she played a prostitute, and in "Coming Home" (1978), where she portrayed a marine's devoted wife, Fonda received Academy Awards in the Best Actress category. She has also won several Golden Globes during her career.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
The queen of aerobics
Fonda's desire to work out at home turned out to be one that was also shared by millions of American women — and men. With her exercise videos, she became the star of a new movement in the 1980s and built a $600-million (€507-million) empire by selling socks, leg warmers and other workout accessories. And she does not seem to slack off: Her latest training videos are available on YouTube.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
The great comeback
In 1990, the romantic drama "Stanley & Iris" with Robert De Niro was her final film before she announced her retirement. It came as a surprise after a series of successes in the 1980s, such as the thriller "The Morning After" or the TV drama "The Dollmaker," for which she received an Emmy. In May 2005, she returned to the screen with the romantic comedy "Monster-in-Law" co-starring Jennifer Lopez.
Image: picture alliance/kpa
A well-rounded personality
During her artistic hiatus, Fonda dedicated herself to activism. In 2001, she established the Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health and a year later demonstrated against Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Fonda has published several books on feminism and international politics, but also wellness and cooking. In 2005 she published her memoir (above).
Image: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Staying engaged
After her return to the silver screen and TV, she portrayed a hippy grandmother in "Peace, Love and Misunderstanding" and a media company CEO in the HBO's "The Newsroom." She continues to take a political stand, too, such as against the controversial Keystone Pipeline in 2017 (above). Its construction has been criticized by political, environmental and human rights activists.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Szenes
80 and looking forward
Jane Fonda simply does not slow down. In the days before her 80th birthday, she made a significant donation to help unseat a Californian pro-Trump Congressman Darrell Issa and finished shooting the third season of the Netflix show "Grace and Frankie" with Lily Tomlin (above) about two women whose husbands fall in love with each other. And she attended her birthday party in a tuxedo!
